Kids Voting Missouri at the Elsberry R-II

Ali Harrison and Seth Miller, kindergarten, show off their stickers after voting

The students at the Elsberry School District participated in a school-wide, mock election organized by the Advanced Learning Program (A.L.P.) students in grades 1-8. On one-day students in kindergarten through fifth grade voted, on another day sixth through twelfth grade students voted in the mock election. Students were participating in a program known as Kids Voting Missouri. Throughout the state more than 223,000 students participated in the Kids Voting Missouri polls.

The goal of the mock election was to teach students how to be proactive citizens. The students all voted in the A.L.P. room on a computer. Results were not available until the evening of Tuesday, November 6. The whole process was designed to feel as authentic as possible. Students had to check in at a registration table, vote in a private station, and then receive a sticker to declare they had voted. The ballots were designed to help students understand how the voting process worked, while not overwhelming the students. Three different ballot styles were used based on age.

Elementary A.L.P. students gave presentations during morning gathering about debates, the voting process, and election results. The middle school students were in charge of scheduling voters, voter registration, and creating posters to inform students of candidates’ platforms. The Presidential Election has been the theme for A.L.P. students so far this year. Students have learned more about the political process by researching candidates, learning about the Electoral College, analyzing political cartoons, planning the mock election and watching portions of debates. Middle school students have spent time comparing previous debates and Electoral College maps to draw conclusions about our country.

The Elsberry A.L.P. students are very thankful for the support of the teachers throughout the district for making the mock election a success. A special thanks to Lynn Weakly, Kandi Kinsler, Brooke Reller, and Eugene Wall for volunteering to help on Election Days. Below are some of the results from the student election.

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